It’s amazing how life just happens and the day to day can consume so very much!  I always say that I am going to update my blog regularly, but honestly, extra time is rare these days!   This one is more of an explanation to some curious friends, family and well perfect strangers.  I don’t believe that I have to justify my time, but I do believe in helping others understand a journey or reason why we do what we do!

Many of you know that recently I decided to start selling my hair ribbons.  I didn’t come to the decision to do it easily, it was just a hobby, just a way to make our girls feel special and just a way to work out my frustrations!  Quite frankly, it is/was one thing I could control in this rollercoaster of a ride!

Recently I had set up at an event and there was a lady next to me who was really wonderful.  She and I talked about our products and then she asked about the name of my little bow adventure.  I explained it and she got all teary eyed as I told her.  I told her that after several months of making them and many requests to sell them, my husband had encouraged me to give it a try!  He even came up with the name for this little adventure and helped my dad to build the display cases.  She smiled, as did I and we continued to talk about why she sold what she did.  Both of us were sitting there BECAUSE of our journeys in life.  She was sitting there as a mom of a child with autism.   Her business reflected it and she was passionate about what she did and why she chose to sell the product!

I was sitting there for all the same reasons.  Out of our passion came something that made us feel productive, gave us control and made us feel like we were doing SOMETHING.  All of this leads me to my “explanation.”

When the children first came to us, we were so naïve to the system, to the day-to-day happenings, to the ups and downs of the journey, not to mention the fact that we were now parents and we had gone from a married couple to two children who were not infants!  Yes, I have spent more than half my life working with children as a teacher, nanny, mentor and so many other things, but NOTHING prepares you for motherhood.  I am thankful to God for the wisdom he has imparted on my husband and me as we strive daily to make wise choices for the children.  Yes, we fall short and yes we let our minds run wild, but we truly love the children and want to do what is best for them!

So why hair ribbons?   Well this momma decided that she was going to wash all of the hair ribbons that she purchased for the girls.  Well, long story short, I ruined EVERY last one of them!   I remember having put the children to bed and pulling them out of the drier (hindsight is 20/20 and I now realize the stupidity of it) only to find that every last one of them were ruined!  What was I thinking?  Well, I probably wasn’t at that point and I made a quick decision and I ruined them!  I looked at my husband with tears in my eyes and said, “I can’t do this, I can’t be a good momma.”  He looked at me and said, “They are just hair ribbons, it’s not a big deal, things happen and who knows, maybe you can fix them.”  Well that was all he needed to say.  He was right, maybe I could fix them.  So I began to play.  I whipped out that hot glue gun, got my scissors, went into my craft bin and got out felt and the ribbon I had on hand and I went to work!  I went on YouTube to figure out some things and there is where I discovered a whole new world of bow making!   Yes, my husband in his supportive words had just created a monster!

All my life I have loved crafting.  I don’t like to scrapbook, but most other crafts I will try!  I had made hair ribbons in high school for my majorette and colorguard squads, so certainly I could buy some ribbon and learn something new!

What I found in those moments was this.  I found out that it was VERY therapeutic for me.  It allowed me to process things differently and even take my mind off of the unknown!  It allowed me to have some control of something completely ridiculous and yet feel like all was right with the world.  I mean after all, if the children left the house with matching hair bows to their outfits, certainly we had it all together right?   NO, but you can understand what I am saying.  It’s not about the hair ribbons… it’s about so much more.

I noticed something about the children as well.  To them it showed them how much I care and love them.  Our oldest said to me one day, “You always make everything perfect.”  I wanted to cry, because that something as simple as a hair ribbon made her feel good about herself.  It’s not about the material possession, rather the love that went into making it… and for her, that was enough!

So why hair ribbons?  Because it gives me a chance to foster faith, to share with them and to connect with the children.   It gives me a sense of control that suites this type-A personality very well and it is an outlet to the frustrations of this journey!  I think even my husband would say that making bows has made me a happier person.

Yes, I had to let some things go to fit this into my life.  Not because I wanted to, but because the greatest work that I will ever accomplish in this lifetime, will be with the children in my home, with those I love and with those I can touch with our journey!   So when you see me, my husband and the children with their hair bows that match their outfits, know that a prayer was said, a problem was solved and my faith was strengthened enough to get through the next mountain we climb or valley we walk through!

It’s not about the hair ribbons, it’s about fostering faith in our home!  The only reason I even began selling them was because I was encouraged by others, by our children and by my husband.  I always joke and say, “I work the 7-3 shift at school teaching, the 3-8 shift with the children, and the 8-11 shift making hair ribbons.”  It’s not a job, it’s an outlet that allows me to be creative, calm the waters, pray, solve problems and so much more.   I just thought I would share how Fostering Faith Ribbons and Bows came to be, why I throw myself into it and why I do what I do… ❤

Matthew 5:16 ~ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.